die Parteivorsitzende

Ljudmila Novak was born on August 1, 1959, in Maribor. She spent her childhood in Zgornja Velka in Slovenske gorice, where she attended primary school between 1966 and 1974. Then she attended Prva gimnazija Maribor secondary school, which she finished with the Matura exam in 1978. Then, she enrolled into the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, finishing her studies by graduating in Slovenian and German. In 1988, she acquired the FIBO qualification for working with physically impaired persons.

Professional Career

From 1983 to 1985, Ljudmila Novak taught as professor of Slovenian and German with Literature at Srednješolski center Murska Sobota secondary school institution, following by one year at Dekliško vzgajališče Višnja Gora correctional institution, where she also headed the secondary school. Between 1986 and 2004, she taught Slovenian and German with Literature at the Zavod za usposabljanje invalidne mladine Kamnik, an institution for rehabilitation and education of the youth with disabilities.

Political Career

Ljudmila Novak began her political career by becoming a member of the New Slovenia – Christian People’s Party, in 2000. From 2000 to 2004, she was a member of the party council. In 2001, inhabitants of Moravče, voting at local elections, entrusted her with the office of Mayor. She held this function until 2004 when she was elected to become a Member of the European Parliament at the first European elections held in Slovenia, standing on the candidate list of the New Slovenia. From 2001 to 2002, she was a member of the presidency of the Community of Municipalities of Slovenia. In 2004, she also became a representative of the Municipality of Moravče in the Union of Rural Municipalities of the EU. Between 2001 and 2004, she was a member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. At the second regular congress of the NSi in Nova Gorica, she became vice-president of the New Slovenia. In 2008, an early party congress was held by the NSi, at which Ljudmila Novak was elected as President of the New Slovenia.

As it has already been mentioned, in June 2004, Ljudmila Novak was elected as Member of the European Parliament. In the European Parliament, she became a member of the European Parliament Culture and Education (CULT) Committee and a member of the delegation in the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. She was also an alternate member of the European Parliament Regional Development Committee (REGI). For further detail on her European Parliament activities, click here or go to www.ljudmilanovak.org.

At the 2008 National Assembly elections, the NSi received 3.40 per cent of votes cast, hence failing to pass the parliamentarian threshold. After the results had been announced, Dr Andrej Bajuk resigned from his position of the party president and the Executive Board of the NSi appointed Ljudmila Novak as acting president until the irregular electoral party congress would be held. Party delegates at the irregular electoral party congress, held on November 15, 2008, in Ljubljana, then elected Ljudmila Novak as the new president of the NSi.

In 2009, elections into the European Parliament were held, with the New Slovenia winning 16.58 % of votes cast, placing it third among party lists, thus winning one seat in the European Parliament, which was occupied by the first person on the NSi candidate list, Lojze Peterle; Ljudmila Novak was placed second on the NSi’s list.

December 4, 2011, became a day of historical importance for both the NSi and Slovenia, as the early elections into the Slovenian parliament, which were held that day, saw the NSi, led by Ljudmila Novak, becoming the first party to have so far succeeded in returning to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. With the electoral outcome of 4.88 per cent or 53,758 votes cast for the NSi, Ljudmila Novak, president of the party, was elected into the parliament as well. The National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia convened at its constitutive session on December 21, 2011, electing Ljudmila Novak, president of the NSi and Member of the National Assembly, to the position of the Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, with 70 votes in favour. On February 10, 2012, the National Assembly approved her as member of the 10th Government Cabinet of the Republic of Slovenia, namely as Minister for Slovenians Abroad. In 2013, after the new Government had been elected, she once again became Member of the National Assembly. In December 2012, the 6th NSi party congress was held in Vipava, where she was once again re-elected to the office of party president by a vast majority of delegates attending the congress.

The year 2014 was year of 3 elections: European election, National pre-election and election for local councils. In July 2014 Ms Ljudmila Novak was re-elected in to the Slovenian Parliament. Under the leadership of Ms Ljudmila Novak, NSi got the best result at the local elections in October 2014. At the 8th Congress of the NSi Ms Novak was re-elected for another mandate as a president of the NSi.

Ljudmila Novak is married to Roman Novak. She is a mother of three – Sara, Tilen and Rozala – as well as a grandmother to two grandchildren. She lives with her family in Imenje near Moravče. She actively speaks German, English and Croatian and has passive command of French and Italian.